The Ham Project II

After all the curing, smoking and 4 months of hanging our ham was finally ready to play!

Presunto

Still surprisingly moist, next time it will hang 6 to 8 months. People making home made cure hams in Portugal often leave them hanging from one year to the next. If the ham is too moist it becomes harder to cut thinly which is essential for this kind of ham. A ham holder together with a a special ham knife can facilitate the process considerably. As with all meat, the diet of the animal is key to taste and texture of the final product and maybe next time we will be able to experiment in a more controlled environment and perhaps with the famous acorn diet…
The ham was smooth in texture with a light smoky taste. It is reassuring to have an entire ham to cut from to serve for impromptu gatherings and snacks. The fat makes for an excellent addition to stews and roasts.
More from the ham project next year…

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This blog is a collection of personal recipes, tricks, techniques and thoughts relating to a Portuguese perspective on food. Portuguese food is not well known internationally and part of me wants to keep it that way. This blog represents the other part which intends to reflect a culinary tradition which by being fragile and in some ways lacking in identity is still interesting in comparison to the over formalised cuisines of France, Italy and Spain.